Dry fly angling is at the top of any fly fisherman's list of fun fishing. The visual dry fly catch continues to excite many anglers as the best way to angle the fly. Many anglers try to keep themselves busy with various fly tying techniques as well as nymphing techniques. We will discuss several of those techniques below, but for now we will start with dry fly techniques.
To watch the fly drift free, then the flash of a trout, followed by your fly rod bend - thid is what most of us are after. To experience it, fly fishermen will go to measures beyond most other fishermen. I would say that 30% of fly fishing angling time is spent fishing a dry fly. My favorite fly fishing memories have included big fish taken on a dry fly. Sure, dredging a nymph and hooking an old Brown or a huge River Rainbow is satisfying, but I'll take a brookie on a dry fly, at any size, on any day.
When I go to a stream, new or old, I put on a nymph first. There are exceptions (fish rising everywhere to an obvious hatch) that make me poke around in my compartment box, but the indicator and nymph are my first choice. I can catch fish while I am observing what is going on in the stream. When I have things figured out, then I go to the dry fly. This is where I have the most fun.
Equipment is important! Try to use as long a fly rod as you can get away with. Some anglers use a 5'6" fly rod for dry fly fishing, but generally, a longer rod eight feet or longer is desirable. A medium action or faster is desirable to have the reaction and hook setting speed that dry fly angling sometimes takes.
It is also best to use large arbor reels. A large arbor keeps a fly line supple, without curls from a tight diameter storage. A fine drag system, or none at all, in important to protect the fine tippet from breaking when a fish runs. A fly rod must also balance. The reel weight must make the fly rod at the point where your index finger rests on the cork grip "balance." That would be where the fly rod hangs level on the balance of your index finger on the cork. This makes the feel of the cast second nature. You will get to a level where casting becomes second nature, you will feel the fly trailing on your leader, the rod tip bending, and the fly line loop during your cast like you feel the tracking of your wheels on the highway while you are driving.
Understanding these important aspects of fly fishing is not difficult, it just takes some experience. You will soon get to a point where you understand each and every aspect of your equipment and fishing technique in focused detail. Especially if you continue to go after trout with a fly rod, particularly a dry fly rod. Just remember to balance your equipment. You will see the merit of that as you fish!
Fly line choices come into play when thinking about dry fly equipment. I like fly line colors in gray, green or white. Colors other than this are used to catch fishermen at the fly shop counter. At fly line weights less than 4-weights, double tapers or weight forwards, you will find you will have a very hard time telling the difference. A double taper will last twice as long because you can turn the fly line around when it is worn. But I seem to gravitate toward a weight forward. If you like to "shoot" casts, the weight forward seems to work better.
If you want, you can experiment with mini shooting heads and custom made lines for your dry fly fishing pursuits. Loop offers many different fly lines available for experimentation. Leaders are an important aspect of dry fly fishing. Many anglers like to use Rio leaders, which are very supple, yet the butt through midsection is stiff enough to make the leader straighten, or "turn over." For small streams, a 9 foot leader in 6x is perfect. If you need to step down to 7x, a length of tippet can be added.
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
Who else wants to pull in a bounty of big fish - Every time!
Here's how to AMAZE your friends (and maybe even make them
a little bit jealous) In 'Fly Fishing Secrets' we show you how.
To get your hands on these amazing insider secrets, Click Here:
http://www.fly-fishing-secrets.com
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
I was fishing a small lake in central California back in 1980, I think it was that year. I had been fishing for a couple of hours and doing ok, catching some 1-2 pound fish... Read More
It has always been my private conviction that any man who pits his intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming. ~John Steinbeck1. How Fish ThinkWhen you hunt for deer, and any other animal... Read More
Why Night Fishing Beats Day Fishing Any Day of the WeekWithout a doubt, night fishing is better than day fishing for many reasons.One of the biggest reasons is the size of the fish you can... Read More
Night fishing is becoming more and more popular recently, and for good reason.Not only do you get cooler temperatures, less competition and congestion for the best areas, but there are also many more opportunities for... Read More
The Newfoundland cod stocks. What has happened to cod fishing off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland? Several centuries ago, John Cabot, sailing under the English flag, found the richest fishing area the world would come... Read More
Many shore anglers avoid fishing rock marks because they are scared of losing tackle. However, very few marks are totally unfishable, and often the most effective rigs for fishing rough ground marks are also the... Read More
We have a problem in our fish farms, especially Salmon. You see for 500 plus million years the Salmon spawn up river and then swim down to the ocean grow real big and swim all... Read More
Lakes in certain parts of the country contain more than something you want in your livewell. Alligators. They can be no more obvious than a rock or a log, so be careful. You want to... Read More
There are several elements that go into creating the ideal charter fishing experience. The most important of these elements are not within the control of the charter service, captain, or the customers:THE WEATHER: By weather,... Read More
Want to see what's really going on under the water or ice? You can eliminate some of the mystery beneath the water or ice and expand your knowledge by using an underwater fishing camera. An... Read More
More and more women are learning to enjoy fishing each and every day. And, why not? Fishing is a sport that doesn't require exceptional strength, stamina or height ? quite the contrary, fishing is a... Read More
Fishing spring creeks isn't easy. Don't expect large quantities of catches, but do expect a challenging experience which has a certain mystique about it. Catching just a few trout, will give you a feeling of... Read More
You have just rolled out of bed, poured you coffee and there it is. You knew it was coming, but it is real, it is here. What am I talking about? It's not taxes, the... Read More
It is easy to get intimidated by world class rivers.I guess the Henry's Fork was a little intimidating to me.With the old rule of thumb being that "eighty percent of the fish are caught by... Read More
I started keeping a fishing calendar this past year. My thinking was that I would somehow get to fish more. I was applying the business proverb of "that which gets measured gets done". Apparently this... Read More
The fish don't care what you wear. Waders, vests and hats for fishermen are necessities to brave the elements. Waders are a must if you are planning any surfcasting or stream wading.... Read More
Our oceans are home to many marine mammals, fish, turtles, corals and others. The delicate balance between man and the ocean is constantly being challenged by the demands of our society. Most of our planet... Read More
Have you ever fished with a Heddon Meadow Mouse? How did you do? The reason I ask is, I have fished with them until I lost my last one and did extremely well at catching... Read More
The ubiquitous Woolly Bugger, never quite spelled correctly to my eyes, appeals to the eyes of every gamefish imaginable. If I had one pattern to fish the rest of my life, no matter what the... Read More
There is a fairly new technique when it comes to bass fishing but it works great especially when bass are under a lot of pressure, it's called drop-shotting. When you see other fishermen using worms... Read More
We can learn alot from kids.Last Friday, which incidently was St. Jean Baptiste Day in Quebec, was also the day we decided to have Grandpa's Pond day in Shady Cove, Oregon.Everything went off just as... Read More
I was watching a TV Show with Bill Dance and he was talking about concentration. I thought well this is going to be a boring show but of course, it wasn't. Matter of fact it... Read More
Originally published in Procats Online MagazineSummertime angling for trophy-sized blue cats on huge reservoirs can be tough. Peer across an expansive lake and the sheer vastness will seemingly swallow you whole. Where do you start?... Read More
Have you ever thought why fishing timbers is so productive? Well, for one, most anglers don't want to fish them because they're afraid of losing a $5.00 lure. This makes it better for us that... Read More
For those of you that don't know, Alaska trout fishing is one of the most beautiful, most unbelievable experiences in this world. Not only are the trout big and beautiful, but the area around the... Read More
The Garmin 160 Fish Finder has some big advantages over the competition. First, the exclusive See-Thru? technology allows the Fishfinder 160 to hear both weak and strong signals simultaneously, giving it tremendous dynamic range. The... Read More
Whether it's the peaceful and serene beauty of being on the ocean, the excitement of a Sailfish or Dolphin erupting from the water, the brute strength of a Tuna or the drag-searing run of a... Read More
Number One Benefit to Night FishingI think the best thing about night fishing is that the conditions are generally the same as day fishing, but the results are much better.If you find a good spot... Read More
Generally an oceanic species, the swordfish is primarily a midwater fish at depths of 650-1970 feet (200-600 m) and water temperatures of 64 to 71°F (18-22°C). Although mainly a warm-water species, the swordfish has the... Read More
Talk to a professional angler like Kevin Schweder(2003 PWT Rookie of the Year), and you will quickly find out that organization is a major part of their game plan. Keeping rods and equipment organized provides... Read More
Do you have a lucky hat?It was a beautiful warm day in the mid 70's. Typical of what we get in Colorado during September. I started out by checking the stream flows on the stream... Read More
The name Lake Trout lends a slight misnomer to the actual species of this incredible fish that is actually not a trout at all, but a char. The Lake Trout resides in some of the... Read More
How many fish have you missed?It is said you could be missing over half the fish that are coming after your spinner bait. Why? Because you're getting short strikes.There is one way to fix that... Read More
One day a friend and I decided to go fishing in Florida. It was a beautiful day and we were going in my friend's boat, so we got up at 4 AM and was on... Read More
It's late December... temperatures are racing towards 0 degrees. Ice is covering most of the lakes in Wisconsin and getting thick on the lakes in the Northern half of the state.This is the time of... Read More
Fishing Fishing |